Colorado's Linebacker Room Shapes Up to Be One of Deion Sanders' Best Yet

The Colorado Buffaloes' 2026 linebacker room appears to stack up well against their historic group from 2024.

Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Gage Goldberg (55) before the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes overhauled their linebacker room during the offseason. It was arguably one of their most successful positional rebuilds on paper ahead of the 2026 season.

But coach Deion Sanders is no stranger to strong linebacking cores in Boulder. His 2024 squad saw a group of linebackers that contributed immensely to the team’s success. Here’s a look at how Colorado’s 2026 linebackers compare to that dangerous 2024 group.

The Colorado Buffaloes’ 2026 Linebackers

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau (18) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The strength of Colorado’s linebackers in 2026 is their depth. The Buffaloes brought in four linebackers who could reasonably compete for starting jobs. This came in addition to two returning linebackers who’d already seen substantial playing time at Colorado.

Three of those newcomers came by way of the transfer portal. First is former Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau. 247Sports listed him as a four-star transfer after tallying 131 tackles, 64 solo tackles, five pass breakups, three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in two years as a starter for Texas.

Next is Gideon Lampron, who came to the Buffs by way of the Bowling Green Falcons. His lone season with Bowling Green was immensely productive, as he racked up 119 tackles, 65 solo tackles, a pass breakup, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was the cornerstone of the Falcons' defense and is poised to make a successful leap to Big 12 play, just as he did from FCS play at Dayton to the MAC.

Finally, Colorado added Tyler Martinez, a former New Mexico State Aggie. He battled injuries during his time in Las Cruces, but when he was healthy, he anchored the Aggies’ defense. He tallied 94 tackles, 45 solo tackles, a pass breakup and a sack in 2024, which was his only fully healthy season for New Mexico State. If he remains healthy at Colorado, he should also have no problem adjusting to the Big 12 level of play.

Then, Colorado added linebacker Carson Crawford on the recruiting trail. He’s listed as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and the best recruit in Colorado’s 2026 class. He was a tackling machine at Carthage High School in Carthage, Texas, totaling 121 total tackles, 73 solo tackles and 20 tackles for loss in his career with the Bulldogs. 

Crawford was not an early enrollee, so he missed the Buffs’ spring game, but given the talent he displayed in his high school days, he should have no issue catching up to the pack in the fall.

They join Colorado’s returning linebackers, Bo LaPenna and Gage Goldberg. Both have played major roles on special teams over the last two seasons, with hopes to make impacts on defense in 2026. Given their loyalty to the program and success on the kickoff and punt coverage units, they have a real chance of doing that.

Coach Prime’s 2024 Linebackers and the Role They Played in History

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green (41) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Coach Prime had a dynamic duo at linebacker in 2024 that led the group’s success and set the tone for the rest of the defense. 

First was Nikhai Hill-Green, who came to the Buffs by way of the Charlotte 49ers in the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season. He made the adjustment to Big 12 play better than most expected, recording 82 tackles, 53 of which were unassisted, along with four pass breakups, two sacks and two interceptions. He finished with the second-most tackles on the team, only trailing star safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig by seven.

Alongside him was Lavonta Bentley. He put up two productive seasons after joining Colorado from the Clemson Tigers in the portal. In those two years, he recorded 124 tackles, 75 solo tackles, two pass breakups, six sacks and a forced fumble. Although he played second-fiddle to Hill-Green in 2024, the defense wouldn’t have been the same without him.

The duo helped Colorado to its first Bowl Game since 2020, and its first nine-win season since 2016. Both players left ahead of the 2025 season, and their absence was felt. Colorado struggled at the linebacker position, as 2025 featured a revolving door of starters, with nobody successfully recapturing the elite play that Hill-Green and Bentley provided the Buffs.

Deion Sanders’s Thoughts on the 2026 Linebacker Room

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sanders seemingly has his mind made up on which of the two units is better, though. 

On an episode of Thee Pregame Network’s The Morning Run, Sanders shared his thoughts on the 2026 unit. Despite the production of the 2024 group, Coach Prime’s money is on the 2026 group to not only top them, but any linebacker group he’s had in his coaching career.

“The linebacker core is superb,” Sanders said. “We have three pros, I believe … These are the best linebackers that I’ve ever had in my history of coaching.”

While it waits to be seen if the 2026 unit will truly top 2024’s group, this type of high praise doesn’t come unwarranted from Sanders. The hype is real for Colorado’s linebacker room, and being led by a former Freshman All-American linebacker in Chris Marve as their defensive coordinator makes it a position group the rest of the unit can be built around. 

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